I’m just back from some time off on the beach in Raratonga. There’s nothing like a break in a place where the way of life is slow and straightforward to pause and think about what’s really important in life. And so too in business.

In third world countries like many pacific islands, there is far less separation between work and home life. They blend together smoothly. And now with food and transport costs soaring in New Zealand and around the world, we are being forced to think more and more about how we physically integrate our work and home life.

The latest trends internationally are also looking for smart and simple solutions to enable work forces to be as efficient and mobile as possible.

More and more top corporates are integrating their HR, Property, and IT functions because to have these aligned, is to gain efficiency and productivity.

HR is all about retaining and empowering great people; property is all about location; and IT is all about equipping and enabling them in the right way.

And interestingly, on the balance sheet, the most expensive items are people, property then IT. So to have strategy across the three areas synergised is to be a winner.

As a property expert, I find this fascinating. Considerations about location impact the people and IT resource hugely, and vice versa. Today’s workforce needs to be equipped with the right technology to have them be efficient and mobile, and that impacts too on office space and location. Gaining and keeping top staff requires that where they work fits their lifestyle so they can achieve that phrase we keeping hearing everywhere, of “work-life balance”.

Property today is about so much more than bricks and mortar. The simple equation of people, property and technology – coordinated in one clear, integrated strategy now – will give leading companies an advantage coming out of these tough economic times.

I’d like your feedback on this.

• What value do you see in pulling these 3 threads together?
• What’s your experience of whether this happens in real life?

Click on the “Comments” link below and leave your reply…

This entry was posted on Monday 21st July 2008 and is filed under Property Strategy. Both comments and pings are currently closed.